The company once run by the man who vowed to "destroy" the Android operating system has spent the last year or so suing tablet manufacturers like HTC and Samsung, and seeking injunctions to bar their products. Apple's extensive patent portfolio lets it declare certain tablet designs off-limits, and -- essentially -- attempt to outlaw any tablet it thinks is too close to the iPad in form.
But how close is too close? A legal document Apple submitted, written by inventor Cooper Woodring, explains the parts of Samsung's Galaxy Tab that Apple feels infringe on its patents. The document also gives suggestions for how to design a tablet that wouldn't fall under those patents.
Here are a few of those suggestions:
"Overall shapes that are not rectangular with four flat sides"
He also noted tablets which don't have four rounded corners might make the cut. Some have facetiously suggested the fictional "Pyramid" tablet from the television show "The Office" would make the cut because of its bewildering triangle shape.
Woodring did not mention whether the chunk taken out of the corner of Barnes & Noble's Nook Color and Nook Tablet e-readers makes them sufficiently distinct to avoid risking a lawsuit from Apple. (Like the Galaxy Tab, the Nook tablets are also powered by Android, which suggests that Apple may try to "destroy" them at some point.)
"Front surfaces that are not completely flat or clear"
They also need to have "substantial adornment" to pass Apple's test. In other words, a completely sleek, flat tablet computer can only be made by Apple, in Apple's opinion. "Thick frames rather than a thin rim around the front surface" are also required, meaning that again, the Nook Color comes closer to being OK'd by Apple (according to this document) than most other tablets.
"Profiles that are not thin relative to the (iPad)"
Apparently, it is OK to make a tablet that's thinner than the iPad, so long as it has "a cluttered appearance."
What kind of tablet would make the cut?
If the Nook Color is allowed -- Apple has not sued Barnes & Noble so far -- it may in fact be possible to design a non-iPad tablet that is simple and practical, without running into any legal landmines ... at least, any that are related to its exterior design.
The Pyramid tablet might also make the cut, which is good news for Dunder Mifflin.
Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.
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